from 2004-2005 School Year
Special
Education Advocacy &
Lawrence Township
(October
7, 2004)
ASK's
first presenter was recently promoted Marie Luciano of Instructional
Services who discussed Lawrence special education programs and procedures.
She described her extensive background in the field of education. She also
shared with us at state-of-the-union type description of the child study
teams at the various schools within the district. She described some of
the reading programs being used as well as reminded us to Meet the
Candidates for the position of Assistant Superintendent. She was excited
about her new position and will surely be an asset to parents of special
needs children within the township. She may be contacted at mluciano@ltps.org.
Debbie
Charette from Statewide Parents Advocacy Network, specifically their
"Parent to Parent" program, presented information on their
statewide network of parents supporting families of children with
developmental delays, disabilities or other special health needs. As
trained "supporting parents", they are a great resource to
families. They offer
 | One-to-one matches of families who have similar needs and experiences. |
| Emotional support for parents when they learn their child has developmental delay, disability or special health needs. |
| Current information on a variety of disability and health issues. |
| Orientation for parents who would like to become Support Parents. |
| Information on local, state and national resources for the child and family. |
| List of informative books on issues related to children with special needs. |
To find out more about SPAN, go to www.spannj.org, or call 1-800-372-6510 to find or become a support parent. NJ Statewide Parent to Parent is funded by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services in cooperation with the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) and the Family Support Center of NJ (FSCNJ).
Two interesting handouts Debbie gave to the group were My Gift and Welcome to Holland. The first offers an idea of the spirit of the Parent to Parent Program. The second is a poetic look at life from the perspective of a parent of a child with a disability.
Debbie recommended the Basic Rights in Education section of the SPAN website, and the Resources Guide published by the Department of Human Services Division of Disability Services. The Parent Action Materials section of the SPAM website is very helpful. For printed copies of this section, see Louise at any ASK meeting.
Legal
Issues in Special Education
(November 7,
2004)
Attorney Jayne Wesler, from the
special education legal team at Sussan and Greenwald led the meeting in a
question and answer discussion of special education law. Learning parent
and child rights can help make you a better prepared advocate for your
child and Jayne helped educate us on some of these rights.
Before Jayne became an special education attorney, she was and still is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She outlined to our group what an attorney can do for you with regard to special education issues. Examples included: explaining legal (federal/state) laws, giving appropriate timelines for services, discussing options and choices you have, assisting you with getting educational consultants, attending IEP and Section 504 meetings with you, helping keep you from going to court, and if appropriate, going to court to help secure appropriate services for your child.
She made recommendations for being an effective advocate. Keep a log of interchanges between you and the school. Ask for programmatic changes in writing. District will have 30 days to respond, although the response does not have to agree with changes requested. It is always a good ideas to try to work with your school district, maintain a good working relationship. Get yourself educated about your rights, www.special-ed-law.com is a good place to get started.
Components of effective IEPs were presented, along with appropriate and least restrictive placements. No Child Left Behind Legislation and also transition service planning were also topics of discussion.
Psychopharmacology
(January 20, 2005)
ASK's
presenter this month was Dr. Elliot Gursky, M.D., a psychopharmacologist
who discussed the various types of medication currently and previously
prescribed to children with special needs. He described stimulant and
non-stimulant medications, including Strattera, Adderall, Aderall XR,
Concerta, Ritalin and Focalin, often used for attention and impulsivity
issues. Also discussed were medications for mood disorders, anxiety
disorders, and Tourette Syndrome. Depression in children was addressed,
including current concerns about the effects of antidepressants used for
children. Safety, side-effects, and long term usage issues were also
addressed. Attendees were able to ask questions and have them answered by
the speaker. Dr. Gursky provided
handouts from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The
fact sheets included:
Prior to the main speaker beginning his presentation, Lawrence High School Vice-Principal Don Proffit addressed the group. He has been appointed interim Assistant Superintendent, temporarily filling the position that was vacated when Dr. Bruce McGraw retired. Marie Luciano of Instructional Services told us about the 2 new speech therapists that have been hired and also discussed the two positions the district is looking to fill - learning consultant and behavioral specialist.
Dana Hice, Learning Consultant and Child Study Team member at Lawrenceville Elementary School announced to ASK that there will be a new preschool program starting in January at Benjamin Franklin School. The program is a comprehensive program that services low income, typically developing, and special needs four-year old children. Children with special needs are placed in the program through identification, evaluation, and eligibility procedures as outlined in NJ Administrative Code. Typically developing and low income children are placed in the program through an application and a lottery procedure. The class will meet six hours per day, five days per week. One certified teacher and a teaching aide will instruct the class. Students receive related services according to IEPs. Class size is capped at 18. The goal of the program is to provide students with an excellent early childhood experience. Currently the Lawrence Township schools offer a variety of programs that are designed to meet the specific needs of each child.
Making
Inclusion Work
(February 17, 2005)
Dr. Jerry Petroff, Ph.D., Professor of Special
Education from the College of New Jersey, spoke on social skills and
social networks for children with special needs. He provided us with some
useful tips on how to foster inclusion. For a copy of his Power Point
presentation, email 
.
Advocacy Tips
(March 17, 2005)
Marlene Huschke, both a Lawrence parent and an educator, discussed with us how to develop an Advocacy Notebook which can be used to track progress, problems, and services and how to utilize this essential tool to get the services our children need. She offered help in preparing for I.E.P. sessions. Several helpful handouts were made available, including "The Advocacy Notebook: A Tool for Parents" and "SPAN - Parent Action Materials"
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